Burns wrote the poem while serving as an exciseman, a position he secured in 1788. The last stanza of the poem refers to Scottish dancing.
There is also a Scottish country dance called De'els Awa Wi The Exciseman.
Related Scottish Country Dances
Exciseman (Drewry)
Exciseman (Rayner)
Chorus
The deil's awa, the deil's awa,
The deil's awa wi' the Exciseman,
He's danc'd awa, he's danc'd awa,
He's danc'd awa wi' the Exciseman.
We'll mak our maut, and we'll brew our drink,
We'll laugh, sing, and rejoice, man,
And mony braw thanks to the meikle black deil,
That danc'd awa wi' th' Exciseman.
Chorus
There's threesome reels, there's foursome reels,
There's hornpipes and strathspeys, man,
But the ae best dance ere came to the land
Was-the deil's awa wi' the Exciseman.
Chorus